The Bad Penny (beta)

Apparently proving that the “Who’s doing which drugs now?” head-scratching Avett Brothers-play-in-a-sandbox-for-a-while-with-Mike Patton-until-someone-gets-dirt-thrown-in-their-face escapade isn’t a hoax, the collaborators just shook hands to make their first festival appearance at Big Ears in Knoxville, Tennessee, on March 28. That’s after their bizarro late-night-TV debut on The Tonight Show that took place two weeks ago – and a day before the pranksters/collaborators performed four tunes as part of the Grammy Museum’s series (moderated quite appropriately by Eric André).

With that in mind, here is The Bad Penny‘s review of their new record. Can you listen critically to music while also trying to solve a mystery at the same time? We did our best.

The Avett Brothers & Mike Patton
AVTT/PTTN
THIRTY TIGERS/ RAMSEUR/ IPECAC

What do hippie-and-hipster-adjacent folk-rock family The Avett Brothers have in common with drug-addled music genius Mike Patton? Well, their last names each have two Ts in them. That’s about it. Then again, does Mike Patton have much in common with anybody? Think about it and get back to me in a year or so if a potential answer pops into your noggin’. In their public comments about joining forces, the camps have elliptically referred to each other as spiritual cousins and that they’ve wanted to collaborate for quite some time.

Meanwhile, just about every rock critic or blogger, and the marketing and promotions team behind AVTT/PTTN, have simple-mindedly chalked up this historic union of seismic music talents as “unanticipated.” Blow us over with a feather, why don’t you? Or at least probe deeper, asking whether Patton teamed with the Avetts because he has collaborated with musicians of virtually every other ilk, and bluegrass-infused folk was either the last or one of the last boxes he had to check off on his list. Or could it be that, in tandem with Patton’s musical output sharply declining due to an agoraphobia diagnosis he publicly announced in 2022, he’s gravitating toward mellower projects like the Avetts? Getting answers to such critical questions would require a wee bit of legwork on the part of music journalists, so we’ll have to explain to curious minds that this project was simply “unanticipated” and leave it at that. 

Naturally, like every single LP, EP or even single that has borne the name “Mike Pattn,” AVTT/PTTN is an oddity. But, in this case, it’s not for the reason you might assume. Aside from some adventurous psych experimentation on “Heaven’s Breath,” this record fits comfortably among The Avett Brothers’ previous releases — and, by definition, is the most easy-listening recording featuring Patton since Faith No More’s cover of Lionel Richie’s “Easy,” which appeared on the band’s 1992 album, Angel Dust.

That said, what Patton admirers and completists might discover to be the most curious aspect of this album is how frequently the Faith No More frontman takes a back seat during most of the record, if not the majority of it. When he does step up to the mic, he’s often heard in the background only. Why left almost all the performing to Scott and Seth Avett, even if Patton did co-produce the effort, is another critical question whose answer might shed more light on this enigmatic, but not eccentric, affair. We are what is longing to be known” is the refrain on the record’s second tune, “To Be Known.” Until we get an answer — and you know what? Maybe it’s actually better if we never do — we’ll simply appreciate the touching, unflinching, languorous songs for what they are, and nothing more than that.

This entry was posted on 12/07/2025 at 10:03 am and is filed under Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Avett Brothers, Ipecac, Mike Patton. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.